


Closed On Wednesdays

by aligningplanets



Series: Grapefruit Sky [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Gratuitous use of paragraph breaks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24829264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aligningplanets/pseuds/aligningplanets
Summary: Pierre's is closed on Wednesdays but Harvey has nothing for dinner.Maru suggests he takes a walk down to Bumblebee Farm to pick up something home-grown from a certain farmer he's been admiring from afar. Maybe he'll come away with the promise of something more?
Relationships: Harvey (Stardew Valley)/Original Female Character(s), Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey/Player (Stardew Valley)
Series: Grapefruit Sky [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801123
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	Closed On Wednesdays

**Author's Note:**

> I've been playing a lot of Stardew Valley in lockdown and I can't help but marry Harvey every time. 
> 
> It's not my fault; I love the awkward doctor man. What a cutie.
> 
> Here's a little story that got stuck in my head.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows as Harvey made his way down the dirt track that led towards Bumblebee Farm.

He tried to focus on the ivy winding it's way around the wooden fence; the crunch of gravel under his feet; the strap of his satchel digging into his shoulder; the wood pigeons cooing as he passed. He tried to focus on anything other than the farmer.

This was normal.

This was a normal thing to do.

Maru said so; said she did it all the time.

* * *

_"Ah. Goddamn."_

_"What's up, Doc?" Maru twinkled at him._

_"Funny. It's Wednesday," Harvey gestured through the inside wall of the clinic towards Pierre's shop. "And I've nothing in the fridge. I suppose I could go to the Saloon but..." he trailed off. He'd done that twice already this week and his metabolism wasn't what it once was._

_Maru shrugged. "Why don't you just head down to Bumblebee? There's always some vegetables growing."_

_"I can't take her crops! Doesn't she need those..." Harvey faltered._

_"To sell to Pierre? So he can sell them to us?" Maru raised an eyebrow. "Mhmm. She doesn't mind, you know. Mom's sent me over there so many times to get some eggplants or whatever. It's supporting local businesses directly."_

_"She's right, you know," Emily piped up from where she was lying across 4 chairs in the waiting area, reading a magazine. "I always buy melons from her directly. Pierre is such a price gouger."_

_Harvey reflexively rubbed the short hair on the back of his head and cringed. "Ah, I don't want to bother her. She's probably busy."_

_"She. Doesn't. Mind." Maru emphasised each word with practised patience. "Heck. I bet she'll be glad for company. Especially from you."_

_"What...what's that supposed to mean?" Harvey stammered as Emily turned a giggle into a cough._

_Maru rolled her eyes._

_"Means nothing. Go and buy some carrots, Doc. I'll lock up."_

* * *

A hand-painted sign marked the entrance to the farm, not that Harvey needed it; the gravel path gave way almost instantly to soft grass and wide expertly-maintained fields. A cobblestone path swept from the entrance in a broad curve to the right until it met steps that lead up to a rustic, wooden farmhouse.

OK, Harvey thought to himself.

This is normal. This isn't a problem. You're not bothering her.

As he strode along the path with fake confidence, he practiced his words in his head.

_Hey._

_No: hi._

_Good afternoon?_

_Hi. I was wondering..._

_I went out to Pierre's but you know what he's like on Wednesday..._

_I just happened to look in my fridge and, well, blow me down..._

_No._

_Jesus Christ._

_I'm totally out of food. Could I maybe buy..._

_Have you got anything ready for sale..._

_Is it weird to lead with money?_

_If I didn't would she think I was looking for a hand out?_

Harvey rubbed the back of his head again.

What was wrong with him? Give him a wound to suture and he was fine. Talk to a woman? Talk to this woman? Bumbling wreck.

This was absurd. They were friends, for Yoba's sake...

A soft creaking noise filled the air as he reached the farmhouse. The farmer was laid on the large wooden swing seat underneath the porch's canopy, straw hat pulled down low over her eyes, sound asleep.

Harvey stopped suddenly. Her legs were bent with her feet up on one arm rest and her head propped up on the other. Her hands were clasped on her stomach and the seat was rocking gently from side to side. Bernard, her terminally stupid golden retriever, snuffled a contented sigh in a patch of sunlight between the shadow of the canopy and the edge of the deck. In her sleep, the farmer copied him.

A soft breeze ruffled Harvey's hair and lifted the brim on her hat slightly. He could see the multitude of freckles that clung to her face, like she had been flicked with a paintbrush.

A sea of fantasies washed over Harvey as he watched the calm scene.

_Harvey, his long legs crossed at the ankle and propped up on the porch's rail, reading a medical journal with a glass of wine balanced on the armrest and the farmer's feet on his lap._

_Harvey laid with his head in her lap and her fingers teasing though his hair, listening with his eyes closed as she rambled on about the farm._

_Maybe she'd smile down at him while she wrapped one of his unruly curls round her finger._

_Maybe she'd take his glasses off and gently massage his temples to work out the tension after a long day at the clinic._

_Maybe she'd brush his hair back off his face and kiss him lightly on the forehead._

Harvey felt heat creep up his neck to his cheeks. He really shouldn't be thinking things like that. It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair to torture himself like that.

And it wasn't fair on her. She wouldn't want to be fantasised about. Especially not by him.

He made up his mind to just go the saloon and turned to leave.

One foot clicked on the cobblestone path and Bernard's head shot up. He let out an excited bark and his tail thumped on the decking, jolting her awake.

 _Caught_.

As she pushed her hat back to the crown of her head and stretched herself into a seated position, Harvey schooled his features. He needed to look like he'd just arrived, not that he'd been staring at her while she slept like a creep. He needed to not be weird.

"Harvey?"

"H-hey. Hi. Sorry. I was just...sorry..."

 _Magnificent_.

"S-s-sorry," she said unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. "Yoba, I only laid down for a second. I must've worn myself out."

She smiled at him and he felt his heart thump painfully against his ribs.

"So, what's up, Harvey? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, um. I...Pierre's is shut and I realised I didn't have anything in the fridge. I was wondering if I could support our local farmer directly. I-if thats OK, of course." He shrugged apologetically.

"Sure! I've got a tonne of fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese..." she counted on her fingers as she listed. "In fact, just come in and you can grab whatever you need."

She gestured for him to follow her inside. Into her house. He stumbled up the steps as the thought hit him.

"Yoba! You OK?"

"Oh. Yes. Sorry. Fine," he stammered.

Her hand was on his arm where she'd reached out to stop him falling. He felt the ghost of it long after she took it away and led him into the farmhouse.

She opened a large chest fridge that sat in her kitchen; a charming affair that was all cream and light wood and brass fittings.

"Take whatever you want," she gestured at the home-grown Autumn fruit and vegetables. "There are cheeses, eggs and fish in that fridge too. Oh, and...hang on..." she wandered off towards her living room, leaving him to peer into the fridge.

When she came back, he had chosen enough for a healthy salad.

"Good choice," she nodded. "I'm particularly proud of the rainbow chard; I've never grown it before and it came out great. Here," she held out a bottle to him.

"Is this..."

The label showed a bumblebee flying through an artistic rendition of brambles.

"Blackberry wine. It's my first batch so it's probably absolutely rancid. You can test it for me and tell me if it's actually potable."

"I'm starting to think you don't like me that much."

"Well, I'll take it back then."

"No, I want it." He snatched the bottle closer to his chest with a smile and she laughed.

There was a comfortable silence before he cleared his throat.

"So, how much do I owe you?" he asked, hefting the bounty held in his left arm.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Take it."

"I can't..."

"Please, Harvey."

"This is your livelihood."

"And you're my friend."

"At least let me give you something..."

"OK. OK." she held her hands up, laughing.

"Thank you," Harvey sighed and started digging in his trouser pocket for his wallet.

"No, not money," she suddenly looked a little nervous. "Why...why don't you come round for dinner?"

Harvey was sure he misheard.

"Sorry? Come round for-"

"You don't have to! I just..." she started, crestfallen.

"No!" he all but shouted. "Yes! I mean, yes," he tried again, calmer. "Yes. That would be...I'd love to. Yes. Please."

"Oh! That's great."

"Great."

"Great."

They stood grinning stupidly at each other, Harvey feeling a bit dizzy and light-headed, like you do after a particularly vivid dream, before she cleared her throat and looked away, blushing.

"I should probably..." Harvey started.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"I'm free whenever. For dinner, I mean. I don't do much in the evenings so just name a day."

"OK," she nodded. "I'll come by the clinic sometime."

"I look forward to it."

As she walked him to the door and out onto the porch, he was struck with the intense need to do something drastic like sweep her into a dip and kiss her soundly.

He didn't.

He simply wished her a nice evening and walked back up the path towards Pelican Town with a slight skip in his step knowing he had something to look forward to.


End file.
